About the 2027 Congress

The next World Hydropower Congress will be held in Sydney, Australia, following a successful bid led by Business Events Sydney. It will be hosted on 6 – 8 April 2027.

‍

The Congress is the sector’s flagship global gathering, bringing together leaders from government, finance, industry and civil society to shape policies and solutions for sustainable hydropower and the journey to net zero. It has a legacy of shaping global hydropower policy and practice, with past editions hosted in Bali, Costa Rica, France, Ethiopia, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Iceland and Turkey.

‍

Australia’s selection reflects its rising profile in clean energy, with New South Wales advancing major projects under its Net Zero & Energy Transition Strategy. The event will coincide with the delivery of Snowy 2.0, the southern hemisphere’s largest pumped storage project.

What will Congress deliver?

As the leading global event for decision-makers within and outside the hydropower industry, the World Hydropower Congress is more than just a platform for discussion. Its deliverables in 2023 will include:

• Reaching consensus on policy and finance recommendations for advancing the clean energy transition to deliver COP28
• Breaking down barriers to the development of renewables by advancing policy and investment-driven solutions
• Demonstrating how complementary renewable technologies can be harnessed to fast-track the shift away from coal
• Highlighting the immense untapped hydropower potential that exists in many regions of the world, particularly Asia and Africa
• Business and networking opportunities for industry.

Leading the conversation

Over 200 high-level speakers from government, industry, finance, research and civil society are expected to participate in over 30 sessions covering key issues such as:

• Clean energy security and flexibility (pumped storage hydropower, innovation, renewables working together, grid integration and interconnections)
• Climate (mitigation, resilience and adaptation)
• Water (multipurpose use, water-energy-food nexus)
• Sustainability (best practices, tools and the Hydropower Sustainability Standard)
• Policy and finance (hydropower in net zero strategies, streamlined licencing, green skills and job development, financial and market mechanisms, green bonds and risk management)